


Hold Me Sacred

by WestEndWhirlwind



Category: Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical - Steinman
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 04:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WestEndWhirlwind/pseuds/WestEndWhirlwind
Summary: Just reimagining the scene where everything goes to hell. (well, y'know...more than it had.)





	1. In Case You Don't Live Forever

"What did you _do?!_"

This can't be happening. Raven is screaming, Tink is bleeding, and Falco has a still-smoking gun in his hand. Strat is just...frozen. He barely manages to catch Tink in time.

"It was an accident," Falco breathes, horrified. Any of the Lost still standing grab him and haul him away.

"Strat?" Raven walks toward him, and for the first time, she's really, truly terrified. "Strat!"

"Get away from me." It's so quiet she doesn't believe it at first.

"But...but..."

He whips around, eyes burning. "_Get away from me!_"

Something in her eyes hardens. He's trying to chase her away, but she won't let him.

"No." It's her turn to be quiet, but there's steel in her words. She's not going to budge.

He turns back around slowly, still clutching his soulmate. "Why the hell not?"

It's not so much a question as a statement. He expects her to leave. He told her to. He yelled at her. He wants her gone. She's not going to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she crosses the floor and kneels in the growing pool of blood. Her dress is no longer white.

"You need people to be here for you, and I'm going to be one of them." She reaches out and squeezes his hand, then turns to Tink. "I know you don't like me -"

Tink coughs out something that might be a laugh.

"- but I need you to understand I never wanted this. I _never_ -" Her voice cracks, and she puts her head in her bloodied hands.

A light, shaky pressure materialises on her wrist, and she looks up. The hand drops just as quickly as it raised, just as soon as she's felt it.

"I get it. I do. You're a rich bitch, but...you're not a bitch. You really care about him...and he really cares about you." Tink coughs, and this time, it's scarlet. "I guess I'm just glad he'll have someone after I'm gone."

Strat lets out a strangled sound. "You're not going _anywhere_, Tinkerboy. I'm not gonna let you!"

Tink smiles weakly. "You need her. And she needs you. Don't waste your chance." He's silent for a moment, lost in thought. "I did."

With that, he closes his eyes, singing softly.

"The beat is yours forever..."

"The beat is always true..."

Strat has to swallow the tears.

Raven squeezes his hand, lending him just enough energy to finish the song.

"And when you really really need it the most, that's when rock and roll dreams come true..."

Tink sighs...and goes still.

Raven throws her arms around Strat just as he collapses.


	2. Six Months Later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betcha this didn't go as planned, did it?

"I still miss him."

Raven curled herself tighter against Strat.

"Of course you do. It's going to hurt for a really long time, Strat...but it'll get better. I promise."

He lets out a strangled sigh. "How can you say that? You haven't lost the most important person to you -"

"I have."

Strat looks at the tiny girl in his arms, shocked into silence.

"His name was Ren. He's...he _was_ my brother."

He can hear her breathing go ragged as she blinks back tears.

"He was in a hovercar accident. It was the night of his eighteenth birthday, and Mom and Dad just thought he spent the night at a friend's." She takes a shuddering breath. "They found the wreckage the next morning - somebody hit him hard enough to spin him off the bridge, and they just kept driving. That's part of why I hated my birthday so much - I'm officially older than my older brother." She lets out a strangled laugh. "We have no idea who hit him, but I...I wanted to kill them, Strat. I still do. Is that wrong?"

He pulls her closer. "Of course it's not...but you haven't done it yet, so that shows a side of you that they could never dream of having."

"So that's my horror story, and now we've both dealt with losing someone we love. Does that make you feel any better?"

Strat laughs a little, in spite of himself. "In a sick, twisted way...it kind of does." Something _had_ lifted off his chest, strangely enough. "Do you think they're happy?"

She smiles. "I like to think Ren is...I bet Tink is too. Maybe they've found each other."

Strat smirks. "They're making fun of us right now. Tink's saying I sound like an idiot -"

"- and Ren's saying I look like one."

They both laugh a little, and in that moment, they realise everything's going to be okay. It's not okay now, but it will be. Eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like pain. And crying. Both of which I am doing.


End file.
